• Any government would be compelled to take some unpopular decisions and the fuel price hike was one of them
• It was a government decision taken with the participation of the President  and Prime Minister

The leaders of eight political parties - the allies of the government with parliamentary representation - condemned the move to palm off the responsibility of the fuel price hike on Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila.  

Issuing a press statement, the leaders of these parties said General Secretary of SLPP (Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna) Sagara Kariyawasam tried to hold Minister Gammanpila solely responsible for the price hike despite it being a government decision taken with the participation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.  

The statement has been signed by Water Supply Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara - Democratic Left Front, Industry Minister Wimal Weerawansa - National Freedom Front, MP Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera - Our Power of People’s Party, MP A.L.M. Athaullah - National Congress, MP Prof. Tissa Vitarana - Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP), MP W. Weerasinghe - Communist Party, MP Tiran Alles - Eksath Mahajana Party and MP Asanka Navaratne - Sri Lanka Mahajana Party.   

They said in the statement that the government and the people were in the grip of a crisis triggered by the pandemic. In such a context, the statement said any government would be compelled to take some unpopular decisions and the fuel price hike was one of them.   

Emphasising the need to give redress to the low income groups under the circumstances, they said they unequivocally condemned the move to blame the price revision on the subject minister.   
They said the SLPP General Secretary had created doubts in the minds of people about factionalism of the government by putting out such a statement.  

• SLPP General Secretary had created doubts in the minds of people  about factionalism of the government